"I've also accumulated a lot of stat points…" Alan muttered, opening his status window.
"A total of 1,070 points."
He began allocating them carefully.
First, he invested 500 points into Dexterity—a clear choice. Higher Dexterity directly improved precision, control, and crafting success rates, greatly increasing his chances of creating higher-rank equipment.
Next came balance.
• Strength: +100
• Agility: +100
Then survivability.
• Stamina: +200
And finally, magic support.
• Intelligence: +70
Alan paused, looking at the remaining points.
"…I'll keep 100 points unassigned. Just in case."
He closed the status window and smiled faintly.
"Now, with this trident, I can go inside the pond too… and retrieve the second fragment of the legacy," Alan muttered, gripping the weapon.
Instead of diving in immediately, he began to practice.
Alan moved to an open spot near the water's edge and started swinging the trident, testing its balance, reach, and weight. Thrusts, sweeps, reversals—each motion flowed into the next as he familiarized himself with a weapon style completely different from the sword.
From afar, Piaro watched silently.
The more he watched, the more astonished he became.
"…He fought with crude techniques at first," Piaro murmured, eyes narrowed.
"And yet he defeated the powerful Merman King. And now—he's already handling a spear this smoothly?"
Common and uncommon rank skills are crude in Piaro eyes.
Alan's learning speed bordered on the absurd.
An hour passed.
Finally, Alan stopped and exhaled slowly. A notification appeared.
[ Spear Mastery has increased ]
[ Spear Mastery: Basic Lv.3 ]
"…Not bad," Alan muttered.
Just by practicing and adapting, he had raised his mastery by two levels.
"Okay," he said with a small grin.
"Second fragment—here I come."
He turned toward the pond, preparing to enter—
"Wait."
A voice called out from behind him.
Alan halted and glanced back.
A rugged man stepped out from the shadows.
"Do you need something?" Alan asked calmly, though his grip on the trident tightened slightly.
He already knew who this was.
Piaro.
A future legend.
And someone who he clearly want on his side.
"…Why are you going to the Merman lair?" Piaro asked. "There will be hundreds of them inside, even if you've killed their king."
"They have something that belongs to me," Alan replied evenly.
"So I'm going to retrieve it."
Piaro studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"Is that why you were practicing with the spear earlier?" Piaro continued. "That's a royal weapon. As far as I know, it grants humans the capability to fight underwater—sometimes even to breathe beneath the surface."
Alan's eyes sharpened.
"…You were watching me?" he asked, raising the trident slightly, his posture instantly alert.
The air between them grew tense as the roar of Loran Falls thundered in the background.
Piaro slowly raised both hands, showing no hostility.
"I have no malicious intentions toward you," he said firmly.
"I only want your help."
He took a deep breath, his expression heavy.
"Please… help me get justice."
As his words fell, a translucent window materialized in front of Alan.
A quest window.
[The True Traitor of the Red Knights]
Difficulty: S
The Red Knights were once the strongest knight division on the continent. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Saharan Empire could now exist because of the Red Knights.
Asmophel, the vice captain of the Red Knights, had a secret rendezvous with the Empress. Then he framed Piaro, who knew the truth.
Due to Asmophel skillfully borrowing the power of the Empress, Piaro and his men were framed as traitors to the Emperor and were forced to flee.
Piaro couldn't forgive Asmophel or the imperial family, who drove the lives of his comrades to the brink of ruin.
But it was impossible for Piaro to move directly due to the trackers scattered throughout the continent, who were released by Asmophel.
In the end, Piaro was forced to give up on revenge himself and needed to entrust it to an agent.
Quest Clear Conditions: Punish Asmophel.
Quest Clear Reward: Title 'Agent of Revenge.'
* Agent of Revenge: The 'Cruelty' stat will be opened.
Attack Power +100. Skill 'Murderous Impulse' will be generated.
Quest Failure: Level -4. ]
"…I can't help you," Alan said calmly, refusing the request.
Piaro stiffened.
"Is the reward not enough?" he asked.
Alan shook his head.
"No. There's something wrong with the quest itself."
"What do you mean?" Piaro asked sharply.
"You say you want justice," Alan replied, his voice steady, "but the quest rewards are Cruelty and Murderous Impulse. Just the names alone spell trouble."
Piaro's body trembled. His hands clenched, anger flashing in his eyes as he stared at Alan.
"Are you saying I'm lying?" he demanded.
"Hm," Alan replied coolly. "Judging by your reaction, maybe not intentionally. But the result is the same."
He continued, unflinching.
"It means one of two things. Either you don't know the full truth… or you're a very good actor."
Silence fell between them, broken only by the roar of the waterfall.
After a moment, Piaro spoke again, his voice low.
"What do you need, then, to kill Asmophel?"
He took a step forward.
"I was once the strongest knight of the Saharan Empire. I know secrets no one else does. I can help you enter the empire unnoticed."
"I don't need any of that," Alan said immediately.
Then he paused and looked at Piaro closely.
"You said you were once a knight of the Saharan Empire, right?"
Piaro nodded.
"Yes. I was the captain of the Red Knights—the most elite order on the continent."
Alan's eyes sharpened.
"Then teach me."
"…What?" Piaro blurted out, caught completely off guard.
"Asmophel is a former vice-captain," Alan continued calmly.
"Why do you think I could defeat him as I am now—let alone kill him?"
He met Piaro's gaze head-on.
"Teach me swordsmanship. Your techniques. Your experience. Train me properly. Then I'll either kill Asmophel—or uncover the truth behind everything."
Piaro stared at him for a long moment.
"…You really are obsessed with the truth," he said at last.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Fine. I agree."
A system notification flashed before Alan's eyes.
[ Quest Information Updated ]
"I'll train you," Piaro said, his voice heavy with resolve.
"I'll raise you to a level where even Asmophel won't be able to ignore you."
Alan smiled faintly as he read the new quest window.
[ Training with Piaro the Hermit ]
Difficulty: ???
Objective:
• Complete Piaro's training
• Master his sword techniques
Rewards:
• Supreme Swordsmanship (SS)
• Empire Swordsmanship (B)
Failure:
• The quest 'The True Traitor of the Red Knights' will be lost
• Affinity with Piaro will drop to minimum
"…Thank you," Alan said quietly.
Behind his calm expression, his anticipation burned.